Signs of an Eating Disorder

The following signs indicate that someone may be suffering from an eating disorder; especially when the behaviors are recent and several occur together.

• Weight loss: extreme thinness or loss of 15 or more lbs. in 2-3 months; is exhilarated by weight loss

• Intense fear of being overweight: preoccupied with thinness, wants to be thinner than peers, complains of being overweight when not, obsessed with clothing size, scales, and mirrors

• Preoccupation with dieting & food: uses diet products, talks constantly about food, calories, fat grams, reads a lot about nutrition, dieting, and exercise

• Eating little: skips meals, eats very little, is finicky about food, appears to eat when not--e.g., pushes food around on a plate but mostly does not eat it

• Unusual eating habits: eats one thing at a time, eats the same thing every day, cuts food into tiny pieces, fears touching certain foods, sudden vegetarianism, refuses to eat with others

• Bathroom breaks: disappears into the bathroom during or after meals--may suggest vomiting to purge calories

• Taking up smoking: especially for someone who would not be expected to smoke

• Caffeine use: excessive drinking of diet caffeinated beverages or regular coffee without sugar

• Evidence of binge eating: a lot of empty food packages may suggest bingeing

• Empty laxative packages: herbal or otherwise, may suggest purging

• Onset of hyperactivity: constantly fidgets, lots of exercise

• Loss of menstrual period: irregular, minimal, or absent menses

• Intolerance of cold: shivering, blue skin or fingers

• Baggy or full-covering clothes: wears baggy clothes or long sleeves, pants and coats during summer months--used to hide excessive thinness, may indicate body image problems

• Skin & hair problems: pasty-looking skin, very thin and dry hair, hair loss and fine hair growth on the face and arms like a baby--all indicate malnourishment

• Swollen salivary glands: distended, "chipmunk" look

• Broken blood vessels: in the eyes

• Change in mood: anxiety, depression, irritability, increased obsessions and compulsions

• Social withdrawal: isolates from peers and family, unwilling to eat with other people

• Perfectionism & low self-esteem: expects too much of self and sees self as not good enough